Creepy Commies

Greetings from Hanoi!

Matt and I are on the last leg of our trip in Vietnam. We just saw a very cool water puppet show at the City Water Puppet Theatre (duh). It was interesting to see the way the puppets glide across the water - the water is very much a part of the show too - not just a groovy stage.

We also went out to see Uncle Ho today. His mausoleum. His embalmed body. Total creepiness. What is up with saving the bodies of communist leaders? Lenin, Mao and Ho all kept in a eerie state of waxiness so people can shuffle through and view their bodies. Did North Korea embalm "The Great Leader"? Right around Ho's mausoleum is his former palace/greeting place, residence, museum, his cars, etc. The museum was actually one of the most interestingly laid out and put together museums I have ever been to.

Anyhow, as I have been traveling though this country, I haven't really felt like I have been in a communist country - like China. Vietnam just breathes differently - a nice and refreshing different. But right around the mausoleum it was something straight out of Commie handbook 101 - big open square - check, austere concrete buildings - check, green uniforms - check, LOTS of pictures/propaganda about leader - check. Didn't so much care for that sudden reminder of where I am after being lost in my head for the past weeks, and also having a sudden reminder on where I must return to after my vacation is over.

It was really strange to go into the chambers to view the body - the chamber is completely climate controlled, and dark, except for the lighting over the body. It looks a little misty-ish when you walk in and then there is a glow over the pallid corpse. It really is quite creepy. There are uniformed guards stationed around the room as well as in the pit surrounding the platform displaying the body. People shuffle in and some pay respects by bowing slightly when they get to the central point of the railing. It was strange and surreal. I had so many thoughts going through my head at this time. I didn't know what to think - I was confused. I was standing 10 feet away from a man who's political decisions caused/contributed to thousands of deaths in the name of so-called "liberation".

"Liberation".

He is celebrated for the "liberation" of South Vietnam and unifying the country. But what a cost this "liberation" had. Now as I try to explain what I was thinking it is all very muddy, it wasn't so clear at the time either. When I got to the center of the rail, my mind was just racing. I frowned and scowled. Not because I support or oppose one political ideology or another, but I just was having a lot of trouble coming to terms with the cost of his actions and this usage of "liberation". When I looked up, I met the eyes of a guard sitting in the pit. He was not very amused by my expression. He hardened his face, frowned at me and motioned me to leave the chamber. Not that I really could or planned on camping out, I just followed the crowd out a little more quickly than I had been moving.

Anyhow, this was both a sobering and creepy experience. We also went to the Hanoi Hilton museum. A former prison which was first built by the French to house the Vietnamese, then later, was used to house US soldiers. I read all about how horrible the conditions were for the Vietnamese and saw another guillotine. I also read about how well the US troops were cared for while there and even saw John McCain's photo and gear from when he was captured and imprisoned there. It has been interesting to read all about the war from a completely different perspective. Although I am getting rather tired reading the carefully scripted propaganda in the museums. Not that the propaganda in the US is necessarily better, it is just different in a very tiring way to me.

So, we are looking to cyclo through the city tomorrow and then head out to Ha Long Bay the day after. Then, sigh, back to China. Hong Kong. Hopefully we will have some time to roll the dice in Macao, but we'll have to see if we have time as my conference is creeping up at a really bad time in my vacation and is going to wind up costing me more money than I feel it is going to be worth (so just a little angry and resentful about that).

Okay, this is getting long and too rambly for my likes. I'll write more later about Ninh Binh (Gibbons!), but it will be post-dated, so look back for it.

So, I just have to make a date with Unky Mao when I get back to Zhong Guo and then head to Russia to complete my embalmed communist leader tour. Hmmm...maybe I'll just hop back on that trans-Siberian line and finish the ride!